On a campaign stop in Huntsville, Sparks charged Davis with a "low blow" over a statement Davis released earlier in the day after a Sparks campaign associate appeared before a grand jury in Montgomery investigating possible bribes linked to electronic bingo legislation.

Davis fired back that Sparks was resurrecting a "frivolous claim" from a year ago regarding questions raised about Davis' use of campaign funds.

The comments from the candidates came in separate interviews with The Times and perhaps underscored the close race for the Democratic bid in the governor's race Tuesday.

The day began with Joe Perkins, who conducted a poll for Sparks last week that indicated Sparks held a narrow lead over Davis, testifying before the grand jury.

Perkins, a well-known political consultant, told reporters in Montgomery the grand jury wanted to know about e-mail he sent to certain individuals. Perkins declined to identify the individuals.

By midday, Davis' campaign released a statement spotlighting Perkins' appearance before the grand jury.

"Alabama Democrats need to wonder what is in the e-mails that Joe Perkins was asked about and do they relate in any way to Ron Sparks," Davis' statement said. "Finally voters in next Tuesday's primary have no choice but to weigh the question: Is the subpoena of a top Sparks campaign advisor a sign of things to come?"

On a mid-afternoon campaign stop in Huntsville, Sparks said he knew nothing about Perkins' grand jury appearance until his plane landed.

Later, Sparks said of Davis' statement: "That's a low blow and a cheap shot."

Sparks also accused Davis of being under investigation by the "state Attorney General and the Federal Election Committee for illegal use of campaign funds and his smears can't hide that fact."

Asked about an investigation, Davis said, "I don't know anything about any investigation. If Ron Sparks does, it may suggest he may be in collusion with someone. We don't know anything about any kind of investigation."

Sparks was referring to questions in 2009 about Davis' use of campaign funds. Candidates can't start raising money or spending it until a year before the primary, which meant the campaign window would have opened June 1, 2009.

Candidates must also report expenditures of $25,000 or more with the Alabama Secretary of State within five days. But a Davis spokesperson said last year that the expenses did not exceed $25,000 before the June 1 window opened.

Money spent by Davis came from his Congressional campaign warchest.

Details aside, the intense campaign rose to a new level Wednesday.

"It's very unfortunate he's chosen to go down this path into the gutter," Sparks said. "The people of Alabama deserve better. I'm not going to go there."

Said Davis, "I think Alabama Democrats are learning a lot about Ron Sparks this week. We're learning how he handles pressure and apparently the way he handles pressure is to make a reckless allegation out of nowhere."